Three wounded in accidental shooting at gun show

A Durham man was one of three people wounded in an accidental shooting at the Dixie Gun and Knife Show Saturday at the N.C. State Fairgrounds in Raleigh.

Linwood Hester, 50, of Durham, was treated at WakeMed Hospital in Raleigh along with Janet Hoover, 54, of Benson. Both of their injuries did not appear to be life threatening, according to N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services spokesman Brian Long. Jake Alderman, 54, of Wake Forest, was treated and released from WakeMed North Healthplex, according to a Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services release. Hester and Hoover were patrons of the show and Alderman is a retired Wake County Sheriff’s deputy who was working at the show. Hester is a former longtime employee of The Herald-Sun.

The shooting occurred when a patron approached the show’s entrance at the Jim Graham Building to have his personal shotgun checked prior to entry. According to the release, as he attempted to open the case, the shotgun accidentally discharged. The gun owner is Gary Lynn Wilson, 36, of Wilmington.

The Wake County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident, and no information was available on pending charges as of Saturday evening. The Dixie Gun and Knife Show will continue as planned Sunday. There will be no private gun sales allowed, and no personal guns allowed on the property. Only gun sales by licensed dealers will be allowed in the Jim Graham Building.